My name is Jaqueline Munoz, and I am a 20-year-old first-generation student from an immigrant household. My parents, originally from northern Mexico, relocated to the United States to provide better opportunities for their only daughter. I am currently attending Texas Woman’s University at the Dallas campus, where I am pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a minor in Biology. After graduation, my primary career goal is to become a registered nurse (RN) specializing in critical care. My transformative experience as a heart surgery patient at UT Southwestern Clements Hospital has inspired me to work in environments where I can provide life-saving care and support to patients during their most vulnerable times. Specifically, I aim to work in Intensive Care Units (ICU) or Emergency Departments, where the need for skilled, compassionate nursing care is most acute. To achieve these goals, I plan to take the following these guidelines of gaining more clinical experience, continue my education and obtain my nursing certification, networking, advocating holistic care, and community advocacy. Gaining Clinical Experience: I will actively seek out internships and residency programs in critical care settings during my final years at university. By immersing myself in high-pressure environments, I will develop the necessary skills and confidence to handle complex medical situations. Continued Education and Certification: After obtaining my RN license, I plan to pursue additional certifications such as the Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN) certification. This will not only enhance my knowledge and expertise but also demonstrate my commitment to excellence in critical care nursing. Mentorship and Networking: I will seek mentorship from experienced nurses and healthcare professionals who can provide guidance and support as I navigate my early career. Additionally, I will actively participate in professional nursing organizations, such as the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), to build a strong network and stay updated on the latest advancements in nursing. Advocating for Holistic Care: Drawing from my personal experience as a patient, I am dedicated to promoting holistic care in my nursing practice. I will focus on treating the whole person, not just the disease, by addressing the physical, emotional, social, spiritual, mental, and environmental needs of my patients. This approach will not only improve patient outcomes but also enhance their overall well-being. I plan to be actively involved in community health initiatives, particularly those that serve underrepresented and vulnerable populations. By volunteering and collaborating with local health organizations, I aim to make a positive impact beyond the hospital setting. Ultimately, my career goal is to provide compassionate, high-quality care that makes a meaningful difference in the lives of my patients. I am committed to continuous learning and professional growth to ensure that I can offer the best possible care. My journey through nursing school, coupled with my personal experiences, has solidified my passion for this field, and I am eager to contribute to the health and well-being of my community as a dedicated critical care nurse.

My name is Jaqueline Munoz, and I am a 20-year-old first-generation student from an immigrant household. My parents are from northern Mexico, and relocated to the United States to provide better opportunities for their only daughter. I am currently attending Texas Woman’s University at the Dallas campus, where I am pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a minor in Biology. My interest in nursing began as a pragmatic choice for financial stability. However, a life-changing experience solidified my passion for this profession. I was diagnosed with heart disease, which led to an eight-hour surgery at UT Southwestern Clements Hospital. This ordeal opened my eyes to the profound impact that dedicated healthcare professionals, particularly nurses, can have on a patient’s life. During my post-operative recovery in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), I vividly recall an incident on my first night following heart surgery. Overwhelmed by excruciating nausea and unable to speak due to the multitude of tubes and wires, I was grateful for the attentiveness of my nurse. She noticed my discomfort, despite the constraints, and swiftly provided a vomit bucket. While this might seem like a routine task for many, to me, it exemplified a level of care that went beyond physical treatment. This nurse's holistic approach, addressing my emotional and physical needs, left a lasting impression on me and further fueled my dedication to nursing. This pivotal experience was instrumental in shaping my decision to pursue nursing. I witnessed firsthand the vital role nurses play in providing comprehensive care, and I was inspired by their ability to support patients through their most challenging moments. The compassion, dedication, and expertise of the nurses who cared for me made me realize that nursing is not just a career but a calling. My goal as a nurse is to provide holistic care, treating not just the disease but the whole person. I recognize the critical interconnection between the mind, body, and spirit. My education and experiences have taught me the importance of addressing all aspects of a patient’s well-being, including physical, emotional, social, spiritual, mental, and environmental factors. By pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, I aim to make a significant impact in the lives of my patients and my community. I am committed to following the principles of holistic care, ensuring that every patient receives the same compassionate and thorough care that I once did. My journey has only strengthened my resolve to become a nurse who makes a meaningful difference in the lives of those I serve.

My name is Jaqueline Munoz, and I am a 20-year-old first-generation student from an immigrant household. My parents, originally from northern Mexico, relocated to the United States to provide better opportunities for their only daughter. I am currently attending Texas Woman’s University at the Dallas campus, where I am pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a minor in Biology. Initially, I chose this career path for financial stability. However, my journey took a profound turn when I was diagnosed with a heart disease that took a bad turn in my first semester of college. This led to an eight-hour life saving heart surgery at UT Southwestern Clements Hospital. This experience ignited a deep passion within me for the field of nursing. I was profoundly inspired by the hospital staff, particularly the nurses who cared for me during my most vulnerable moments. During my post-operative recovery in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), I vividly recall an incident on my first night following heart surgery. Overwhelmed by excruciating nausea and unable to speak due to the multitude of tubes and wires, I was grateful for the attentiveness of my nurse. She noticed my discomfort, despite the constraints, and swiftly provided a vomit bucket. While this might seem like a routine task for many nurses, to me, it exemplified a level of care that went beyond physical treatment. This nurse's holistic approach, addressing my emotional and physical needs, left a lasting impression on me and further fueled my dedication to nursing. This pivotal experience has been instrumental in shaping my growth as a student nurse. Despite the challenges I faced, I am grateful for them, as they have only strengthened my commitment to healthcare. With my Bachelor of Science in Nursing, I aspire to make a significant impact, much like the nurse who supported me during my lowest point. As a nurse, I aim to provide holistic care to my patients, treating not just the disease but the whole person. I recognize the critical interconnection between the mind, body, and spirit. My goal is to positively impact my community by adhering to comprehensive care principles, which include physical, emotional, social, spiritual, mental, and environmental aspects. I am eager to bring this holistic approach to my nursing practice, ensuring that every patient receives the same compassionate and thorough care that I once did. I am committed to making a meaningful difference in the lives of those I serve, just as my nurse did for me.

My name is Jaqueline Munoz, and I am a 20-year-old first-generation student from an immigrant household. My parents, originally from northern Mexico, relocated to the United States to provide better opportunities for their only daughter. I am currently attending Texas Woman’s University at the Dallas campus, where I am pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a minor in Biology. Initially, I chose this career path for financial stability. However, my journey took a profound turn when I was diagnosed with heart disease during my 1st semester at TWU. This led to necessitating an eight-hour surgery at UT Southwestern Clements Hospital. This experience ignited a deep passion within me for the field of nursing. I was profoundly inspired by the hospital staff, particularly the nurses who cared for me during my most vulnerable moments. During my post-operative recovery in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), I can vividly recall an incident on my first night following heart surgery. Overwhelmed by excruciating nausea and unable to speak due to the multitude of tubes and wires, I was grateful for the attentiveness of my nurse. She noticed my discomfort, despite the constraints, and swiftly provided a vomit bucket. While this might seem like a routine task for many nurses, to me, it exemplified a level of care that went beyond physical treatment. This nurse's holistic approach, addressing my emotional and physical needs, left a lasting impression on me and further fueled my dedication to nursing. This pivotal experience has been instrumental in shaping my growth as a student nurse. Despite the challenges I faced, I am grateful for them, as they have only strengthened my commitment to healthcare. With my Bachelor of Science in Nursing, I aspire to make a significant impact, much like the nurse who supported me during my lowest point. As a nurse, I aim to provide holistic care to my patients, treating not just the disease but the whole person. I recognize the critical interconnection between the mind, body, and spirit. My goal is to positively impact my community by adhering to comprehensive care principles, which include physical, emotional, social, spiritual, mental, and environmental aspects. I am eager to bring this holistic approach to my nursing practice, ensuring that every patient receives the same compassionate and thorough care that I once did. I am committed to making a meaningful difference in the lives of those I serve, just as my nurse did for me.

On March 6th, 2020, I was scheduled for a left-foot bunion surgery at Dallas Presbyterian Hospital. This was also the last day of school before going on spring break, although the COVID-19 pandemic had different plans. My experience with COVID-19 altered my mental health which influenced my beliefs, relationships, and career aspirations. Before the pandemic occurred, I was a junior at West Mesquite High School. At the time I was unaware of what my career aspirations were, but I was confident that I wanted to further my education. I was diagnosed with a flat foot, and although my condition wasn’t severe, it affected my day-to-day life. Therefore I was scheduled for a foot bunion surgery on March 6th, 2020. The day before the pandemic affected my life and mental health. After the procedure, I was sent home and later learned that attending school in person was considered a safety hazard. The school board made a decision to not allow students to attend school and switch to online learning. This made me feel that part of my life was being taken away because school wasn’t just a place to learn, but it was also a place of comfort where all my close friends reside. Throughout the pandemic, the school board kept making claims of potentially going back to in-person classes, however, it never truly happened. This altered my beliefs about the pandemic ever coming to an end. I didn’t want to even turn on the television anymore because of all the bad news there was being broadcasted about the pandemic. It made me believe there wasn't an ending to this pandemic and taking a toll on my mental health. After my junior year came to end, the pandemic continued throughout my senior year of high school. Before my senior began, the school board made attending school in person an option. Despite my aspirations to go back to attending school in person, I remained to be online because I was skeptical of it being a permanent option. Throughout my senior year, I lost my grandfather who resided in Monterrey, MX. This made me more aware of how the pandemic affected the entire globe but it also made me change all my relationships with the people I love. Although I was filled with the fear of losing loved ones, it also brought me closer to them. Acknowledging the people I love, made me remember how precious life is and how grateful I am to the medical staff who are taking the risk to fight against the pandemic. My experience from my medical procedure and the loss of my grandfather made me acknowledge how powerful the medical field actually is. It made me grow a career aspiration to become a member of the medical field one day. I then decided to apply to Texas Woman’s University and major in nursing and later on minor in biology. Although the pandemic affected my mental health it made me acknowledge how the medical field was working against the pandemic.

Being a first-generation student in an immigrant family is difficult enough, however, struggling with chronic disease simultaneously makes the academic journey to attend college even more strenuous. Having a difficult post-op recovery from a mitral valve repair in my freshman year of college made it difficult to keep up with the material in the 2022 spring semester. My dream is to become a registered nurse, and going to college will support achieving this dream. In my sophomore year of high school, in November of 2019, I was diagnosed with a rare condition called Rheumatic Fever. Although Rheumatic Fever had a simple treatment, the condition led me to have mild mitral valve regurgitation. Making my mitral valve not close completely causing a backward motion of blood flow. At this time, my heart wasn’t in danger as long as I continued treatment. This treatment involved monthly visits to my pediatrician to receive a dose of medicine, and biannual cardiologist visits. When I was becoming a legal adult (18 years old), my pediatrician didn’t aid the transfer of treatment to a family care physician. Resulting in receiving no treatment for my chronic disease nor having a primary care physician to look after my health. Therefore the treatment didn’t last, due to a lack of doctor-to-patient communication and resulting in my mitral valve regurgitation worsening. Being untreated for three months, my heart and life were in danger at the age of 18 years old. Beginning my academic journey toward my dream of being an RN led me to enroll at Texas Woman’s University. Although in the first month of college, August 2021, I noticed that I was beginning to lose consciousness in the dormitory parking lot at Texas Woman’s University and called for help. After this unforeseen event, I immediately scheduled an appointment with my cardiologist because I was aware that my condition was worsening. Unfortunately, my assumptions were correct and now I needed to seek a different route of treatment. Which led to having a mitral valve repair surgery during my winter break on December 22nd, 2021. As my surgery date approached, I began to have doubts about survival and surgical success. I began to think if it were even possible to satisfy my dream of becoming a registered nurse. After surviving this traumatic experience, my dream became an even more prominent goal I wanted to achieve in my life. These unfortunate events shaped my dream to become the potential reality I want to live and achieve. Going to Texas Woman’s University and attending their nursing program is something I want to complete to reach my goal. It is important to me to become a nurse because I have seen the impact one nurse can have in a clinic or in a hospital. No matter the setting, nurses will be able to make a difference in their community. Although going through unfortunate events of post-op mitral valve repair surgery, it also inspired me to push forward with my dream. With the AHS Scholarship, I would be able to focus on going to college to satisfy my dream of becoming an RN. A Humble Seed Foundation would be relieving the financial burden that college has, and aid my academic journey. It has been a blessing to have a second chance at life, therefore I want my dream to become a reality with the aid of the AHS Scholarship.

Being a first-generation Latina in an immigrant household has been not only stressful but also a reason to keep going. That sole reason to ensure I make it through my career journey is to show society that it is possible for them also to make it in the healthcare field. My name is Jaqueline Munoz, furthermore, I wish to make a positive impact on the world of women who wish to seek a career in working in healthcare. Growing up I always wanted to go to college, although I found it nearly impossible from a young age because of the lack of representation of women. This led me to doubt my career choices until my heart disease, which began my sophomore year of high school, November 2018. I received treatment throughout high school which maintained my heart in a good state, after several doctor visits I found that the kind-hearted healthcare women who assisted me throughout my care inspired me to major in nursing and minor in biology. However, my mitral valve was cohesively flowing blood backward and only got worse when I started college at Texas Woman's University. Due to an invasive heart valve repair surgery in December 2021, I used my winter break to complete my procedure and go back to school the following semester because I didn't want to miss school. I was too eager to go back to school and solely focus on my academics. I wanted to ensure my goal was still going to be completed, that goal of graduating and inspiring others so that they can continue their career journey. Throughout my career, I wish to make an impact on many communities like mothers and young girls who seek a career. I want to inspire these groups and assure them that the journey may be difficult but it will be all worth it in the end when they obtain that career in their hands. Being a first-gen daughter has given me sufficient insight into what these young girls and mothers need in times of doubt and lack of self-love. By being a nurse I will Make them aware of what is possible for them and assure them the journey is not a straight one, similar to the journey I am on to finishing my degree. When I do make it to the end of my journey to begin my career, I want to one day as well be a scholarship donor and aid even more women, young girls, and minorities across the globe. I believe that I am fit for the scholarship grant because I will focus on my career journey and fulfill a positive impact on the world of women. Therefore encourage them and aid them throughout their career journey once I am done with mine. Besides finishing my degree, I have a goal to leave a positive impression on the world.

I’m one of the many first-generation students in the United States, while additionally being a daughter of immigrants. It comes with a heavy load of expectations to carry on what my parents couldn’t. Despite this, I don’t have anyone else but myself since I find myself being the only child in my family. This has influenced me to further my education therefore I could be a role model for the future generations. As a young girl, I have always been alone while teaching my parents English in order for them to not struggle. Finding myself translating important documents, speaking on the phone for them, and even ordering food at restaurants for them. I can vividly remember when my family had a meeting with an accountant to do my parents taxes. At the time I was the ripe age of 8 years old. Our account only spoke English therefore I had to translate to my parents throughout the meeting. During the meeting I quickly learned that I did not know what I was having to talk about. Many children of immigrants had to go through these similar encounters, however I had to undergo these encounters on my own since I didn’t have any sibling support to aid me during those difficult times. I find it fascinating how I managed from a young age to fully understand the role I played in my family. Being able to understand the situation and follow through. Although I did wish I had siblings to help bear the pressure that relies on me, I knew that I had to push through hardships to seek a brighter future. Along with the heavy load of not having any siblings to endure the burden came with the number of expectations. This has left an impact on me to acknowledge from a young age that I needed to continue my education in order to meet these self made expectations. However my parents were supportive in my studies, I often still felt overwhelmed with the great dues I am expected to meet. Expectations where I should have a degree that will help me get a well paying job in order to support my family and myself. All these dues eventually met up with me in my junior year of high school. While in my accounting class I was working through my class work and got lost into my thoughts about the future. I had the original plan to pursue a career in accounting since I was left with the idea that it would be a simple route for me to follow. I’ve always seen nurses as strong individuals in the healthcare field but thought that I was never “smart enough” to pursue. I gave some thought about my ambitions and my past, everything that led up to me at this point in my life. Then I finally gained the confidence to pursue a career in the healthcare field, a registered nurse. My life as a daughter of immigrants has changed my views about my career path in my junior year high school. In the end, I want to take my ambition to move forward to become a registered nurse. Whereas I will not only be supporting my immigrant family but my future patients. I hope to inspire my many other first-generation students that anything is possible if you put the work into your ambitions. With this scholarship I am able to have the financial support to work through my studies.